Standing 60 feet and six inches from Tejada in Camden Yards was a familiar presence: those steely blue eyes, that shiny bald head, the Cooperstown aura hovering above, along with the savory smoke from Boog's Barbecue.

Cal Ripken Jr. had come down to his old haunt for the 10th anniversary of his 2,131st straight game, when he broke what everybody thought was an iron-clad record by the Iron Horse himself, Lou Gehrig.

Ripken threw out the first pitch and Tejada crouched behind the plate and caught it, linking these two Orioles in more ways than one.

Tejada, of course, is the Major Leagues' active leader in consecutive games played. He started at shortstop against the Mariners here at Safeco Field on Saturday evening, so chalk up No. 897.

Ripken finished at 2,632, or 502 more than Gehrig -- a little more than three straight 162-game seasons.

Tejada passed Stan "The Man" Musial on Friday night, putting him in seventh place on the all-time list. He's got a little way to go to get to No. 6 -- Joe Sewell's 1,103. And he's got a long way to go to get to the level of that other beloved Baltimore shortstop.

This was a fact that was brought up in high decibels on Ripken's anniversary night. Tejada was introduced as the recipient of Cal's ceremonial first pitch and they called him the Orioles' "new iron man."

Then it was pointed out that if Tejada is to break Ripken's record, it will happen in July 2016, almost 11 years from now. Tejada would be 40 years old. Ripken was 38 in Sept. 1998 when he decided to end his streak.

Ripken massaged Tejada's shoulders as if to get the little guy ready for the long haul. Tejada had to laugh and still does when asked about Ripken's streak.

"It's unbelievable what he did," Tejada says. "I don't think I can do it. I mean, I've played in a lot of games, and I'm not even close."

Tejada raised a few eyebrows around the time of the latest Ripken celebration, saying he might just end the streak. He appeared to be tired and a little frustrated at what appears to be a losing season for the Orioles.

But he was in the lineup the next day, and the day after that, and so on and so on ...

"I just want to be in the lineup every day," Tejada says. "I can forget what happened the day before. I love being at the ballpark and love playing the game. It's not about a streak. It's just about me wanting to play."

It's about more than that, though. As pointed out by Tejada's teammate, outfielder Eric Byrnes, you don't get to 897 games in a row just by showing up.

"When people talk about streaks like that, it's more than just physically being able to do it, day-in and day-out," Byrnes says.

"You have to be good, you know? You have to have your manager feel that he needs to put you in the lineup every day. That's Hall-of-Fame good. And Miggy's that good."

The numbers are hard to deny.

Tejada, the American League's Most Valuable Player in 2002 while with the Oakland A's, has hit at least 20 home runs in his last seven seasons and driven in at least 100 runs -- including an Orioles-record 150 last year -- from 2000-2004. He entered Saturday's game with 89 RBIs this year, so the century mark probably won't be a problem once again.

He's also leading the American League with 46 doubles, he's sixth in batting average and has hit safely in 108 of 141 games in 2005.

He also might lead the league every year in two categories that don't appear in boxscores: passion and emotion.

In late August in Cleveland, for example, Tejada was penciled in as designated hitter for the first time in his career. He didn't know what to do with himself while not on the field. He paced in the dugout. He wrapped towels around his bats. After the game, he said he never wanted to DH again.

Then there was the day in 2002 in Oakland when he struck out against Angels left-hander Jarrod Washburn, who had baffled him throughout his career. Tejada excitedly grabbed all his bats and batting gloves and put them on top of the dugout, pushing them toward the eager hands of A's fans so he'd be rid of that faulty equipment.

And let's not forget the offseason of 2003-2004, right after Tejada signed his six-year, $72 million contract with the Orioles. Tejada was playing for the Licey Tigers in the 2004 Caribbean Series in his home country, the Dominican Republic, but he was scheduled to leave on the eve of the championship game to attend his first Orioles FanFest at Camden Yards.

Tejada thought hard about it until the Dominican president called him, pleading for him to stay and play. Tejada honored the president's request and helped his team to the title, stretching a single to a double with an emphatic dive that had the Estadio Quisqueya crowd as loud as it's ever been.

It's that infectious energy that has made Tejada a leader in the Orioles clubhouse and on the field, and it's that passion that has him suiting up night after night, even if he thinks 2,632 is a ridiculous number that could never be topped.

"I don't think about streaks," Tejada says, repeating himself. "I mean, it's great to be playing so many games when I play the way I play. I'm really proud. It's not easy to do."

Maybe so, but he sure makes it look that way.